This past week, my sons were both at camp, so my husband planned a getaway for just the two of us. I believe it is the first trip he has planned since our honeymoon. He was enthusiastic about the itinerary and teased me with hints of a few secrets in store for me. (P.S. I really dislike secrets.) 
We stuffed the car with our stuff (including a camp stove and sleeping bag for one night at a camper cabin, along with the hotels he’d picked) as well as the boys’ stuff, and barely managed to squeeze in ourselves. On the way, we stopped at one of the boys’ happy places, a Pizza Ranch, where we met soon-to-be-published author Gabrielle Meyer and her family for lunch and great conversation.
Later, after we dropped off our boys at camp (doing our best to embarrass them in front of their fellow teenage campers by our mere presence), we began our quest to revisit some of our favorite places. (No, not England this time, sadly.)
We went hiking in Itasca State Park, walking along the Duluth boardwalk, strolling through Grand Marais, touring Grand Portage National Park, and tromping many miles through Jay Cooke State Park. With all that walking, I still managed to gain a ton of weight in one week. Yes, I am skilled in that area.
We even drove across the boarder into Canada to visit Fort William and have lunch in a Tim Horton’s restaurant. (How could you not love a place where your order of a #6 includes your choice of sandwich, drink, and DONUT instead of fries?!? Which reminds me, we also made two stops at The World’s Best Donuts in Grand Marais. Oh, and then there were pies at Betty’s Pies. And… Maybe now I’m figuring out how I gained that weight….)
Along the way, we shared good talks, laughs, romance, memories from the past, and plans for the future.
Did I mention that pre-galleys for The Secret of Pembrooke Park were due the Monday after we got home? So while hubby slept in, I rose early every morning to work on them. I also sat in the backseat with my computer and purple pen during several long drives. A challenge for this car-sick-prone gal, let me tell ya. Ah yes, the glamorous life of an author.
Oh, and the surprises? Well, I’ll only share one, but it’s sweet. Hubby arranged a private ballroom dance lesson for us while we were visiting Duluth. (He knows how much I love to dance.) It was so much fun; and I’m looking forward to trying out a few new moves at a family wedding in August.
Well, thanks for traveling with me for this recap of our Happy Places tour. What happy places have you visited this summer?
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The only happy place on my horizon this summer is in my garden, but that is a very, very happy place for me. Especially if I have a book with me. I’ve lived in apartments all my life so renting this wee little house feels like luxury accommodation to me. Staying home is better than traveling. I sure enjoyed your whirlwind tour though. Thanks for sharing.
Congrats on having a garden of your own, Kav. Enjoy it, and happy reading!
Sounds like a glorious trip, Julie.(Except for the galleys! Ugh!) No wonder you write such wonderful romance novels with such a romantic husband.
Thanks, Lynn. Yep. He’s pretty sweet. Didn’t help me with those galleys, though.
Thanks for sharing, Julie…sounds like a great time! I stick around home and read, read!
Thanks for stopping by, Jackie. Glad to hear you’re getting in lots of reading this summer.
Hi Julie. Sounds like a wonderful trip. You have a marvelous hubby…ME TOO! What a gift to walk this journey called life with an extraordinary best friend. Last Sunday we had the most blessed day right here in the Twin Cities. Went to church at Westwood…awesome….and then went for a very long bike ride. ( I am still feeling it!) The weather was exceptional and the company…grand. Looking forward to seeing you soon. Blessings…
It sounds like a wonderful trip. So far, we have had company and more company. We did go to a day trip for a graduation party (about 4 hours in the car each way) My husband is returning from a mission trip in Bolivia today and more family is arriving today also. At least, we get to see a lot of extended family (and I see a lot of the laundry room and kitchen). We will go camping (with family) in September and that is a fun time. Thanks for sharing your special trip with us! You are much blessed!
What a wonderful trip, Julie! My hubby has planned one or two surprise trips for me over the 22 years we’ve been married. He randomly chose Baltimore, MD as our first destination before we had kids, and that became one of my favorite memories. The crab cakes, the gorgeous aquarium, and all the history. I got to see Betsy Ross’s house and see where Francis Scott Key wrote the national anthem. That was a great trip. My most recent surprise trip was in honor of our 20th wedding anniversary. He took me back to the hotel where we spent our honeymoon night. We didn’t have time to explore the are like we would have liked on our honeymoon because we left early the next morning, so this time we spent several days exploring the area.
Gotta love it when these men of ours go all out to make us happy. 🙂
What an amazing trip, and so happy to get a chance to visit with you and meet your family at the start of it. We had perfect weather last week here in Minnesota, and I’m sure that added to your enjoyment. 🙂 After seeing you on Sunday, I had three days to prepare for a writers retreat at my home. On Wednesday of last week Alena Tauriainen, Lindsay Harrel, and Melissa Tagg arrived and we had an amazing time together. It included a three course tea party at a historic bed and breakfast with local friends, as well as Susan May Warren, who drove five hours from grand Marais to be with us by lunch time. This coming weekend I’m taking my mom and daughters to the Laura Ingalls Wilder Pageant and festival in Walnut Grove, Minnesota. As I type this, I’m sitting on the end of a dock with my mom, watching my kiddos swimming in the lake. It’s been a string of Happy Places this summer–and visiting with you was one of the highlights!
It’s so much to keep up with the summer travels of the authors of Inspired by Life…and Fiction!
I’m leaving on Friday with my husband for a trip to the Caribbean. It’s definitely a happy place for me. We go to help with a tennis camp there for the local kids, but inevitably my husband and I have a chance to recharge while we’re there. It’s so freeing to go on a trip and not have to worry about making sure our three kids have on sunblock, that they’re provided with something as pesky as three meals a day, that they’re in bed on time, etc etc.
Julie, thanks for sharing your journey with us. Aren’t you the lucky one, having such a thoughtful and sweet husband?
The happy places I’ve visited this summer are the two fictional stories I’m working on. Diving into these tales has been quite the fun adventure, and one day my journey will transform into being published. So looking forward to that.
Blessings,
Andrea
Your trip sounds wonderful, Julie! 🙂
And I applaude you for working on your writing in the back seat while traveling – – oh my!! Either one of those would make me sick (seriously!) but I admire those who can write or read while riding. (Or even travel in the back seat—that alone makes me
queasy). 🙁
SO looking forward to your Pembrooke Park book!
A happy place for me this summer was visiting Amelia Island, FL last month for a family vacation. Although brief, it was WONDERFUL (and our house was right on the beach). 🙂
Hugs, Patti Jo
p.s. Kav, your garden sounds delightful, and I’m sure you’re enjoying it. As a homebody at heart, that sounds lovely! 🙂